Several botany students from William and Mary and I returned a few days ago from a backpacking foray to the river gorges of the southeastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge. It is with that fresh experience of the Southern Appalachians vividly in mind-their rugged beauty and floristic richness, as well as the vegetation-nurturing, botanist-soaking abundance of rainfall-that I write this message to my fellow members of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Club. I want to review the ’89 meeting of the Club with you and to outline plans for the coming year’s meeting.